Looking in the mirror we often see ourselves as a rationale individual who makes decisions with a solid dose of facts, figures, logic and reason. We project this same image onto our prospects. We believe that if our presentation can just get them the right set of facts, figures, logic and reason they will “buy” what we are offering. As an inbound marketing company strategist, if this is how you are approaching your prospect engagement, the thought of buying from you won’t be crossing the prospect’s mind. Think not? Then here’s how what your doing looks to the prospect.

Logical vs. Emotional Decision Making: There are four feelings that you must satisfy with the prospect if you want them to “buy.”

1. Prospects have to FEEL SAFE.

Whether you believe it or not, that first conversation, the first meeting, that first encounter the prospect has with you their “mammalian brain” kicks in. This brain works to insure our survival rather than our human potential. It primarily oversees the four F functions of fighting, fleeing, feeding and …….reproducing. During those first critical minutes of initial engagement, they are unconsciously processing if they are safe with you, if they can trust you, if their company is safe with you or should they flee!

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

– Maya Angelou

Your most important initial goal is to make them feel safe. Your combined inbound marketing and inbound sales can create the environment in which they feel safe and turn them into inbound sales leads. They need to know you, like you and trust you if they are going to hit that “buy” button down the line in the sales process.

In the past, prior to the Internet, we would build a foundation of knowing, liking and trusting through repeated interpersonal interactions, like going to sporting events, lunch, etc. with our prospects. But that process is not how it works now.

You are getting prospects to find you and giving them a remarkable web experience with engaging content and great offers covering the three funnel segments. You’ve established social credibility and authority through your Twitter posts, they can look at your LinkedIn profile to see what you’ve written, and they can get to know you even before they meet you. By knowing that, how can you make them like you and trust you through your inbound web presence?

You can further secure the prospect’s sense of being safe through a remarkable inbound sales process. Here we achieve this for the prospect through a dedicated discovery process that includes diagnostics, recommendations, onboarding them as a new client.

But let’s step back. Having created a safe environment in which they can hit the “buy” button, they have to feel a “need” to hit it. This leads us to the second feeling a prospect must experience.

2. Prospects need to FEEL PAIN

The prospect feels safe enough for you to engage them directly. Now, you must ask the right questions to uncover the information you need from that prospect. From this information you will make recommendations that will ease the pain. Your questions are centered on finding a sensitive source of pain for that prospect, something they have a need for. That’s why you use the word “feel” throughout your probing questions to expose the source of the pain

3. Deepen the prospects FEELINGS of PAIN

Some people call it “pouring salt on the wound.” It can be tough to master, but you need to proceed to briefly push your finger into the wound that brought them to you in the first place. It is not enough for your prospect to only identify the source of pain. You want to get them to act upon the pain.

Now you have to ask the questions that deepen the feeling of pain the prospect has identified for you. To do this, it is important to get the prospect to see and feel this pain. You can do this by asking questions that seek to get the prospect to tell you how the pain looks, how would it feel if, or describe to you how it feels that your current inbound marketing program isn’t delivering the results? What do you feel the impact will on your company? How are you going to feel if don’t address this? What are outcomes you see if you don’t address?

The answers to these more probing questions will allow you to more clearly identify their needs, qualify them as a prospect and develop a remedy.

4. Provide the REMEDY to FEEL RELIEF

Link the prospect’s pain to your company’s solution. Paint the picture of your company as the hero that allows them to solve their problem.

By creating a place your prospects can develop feelings of being safe with you the foundation is laid for allowing you the opportunity to engage them with questions that reveal what causes them pain. As you connect them emotionally to what the pain is and link your solutions to providing relief from the pain, you create the environment for gaining new customers.

Ron holds a BS in Political Science (Emporia State University), MA in Political Science (Kansas State University) and an MBA (University of Colorado). During his work in private industry he utilized his marketing degree and background to move into developing and implementing inbound marketing strategies. He became passionate about how inbound marketing in combination with the “HubSpot” platform is a critical tool for any small, medium and large sized companies seeking to be relevant and..